Geez, ya think Worstell was trying to send a message ?Whether it was directed at MV for the upcoming game or SRV encountered problems with Cal in this game - looks like a clear message statement to me.

I was the one asking about the score being run up a few weeks ago. Some of these games are just a wide diversity of talent on one team vs another. Witness the Livermore (my son's team) and Granada playing in EBAL all year and their scores. We're getting hammered and I wouldn't say that any of these are scores being run up. It's just a young team up against experienced teams playing. Heck, didn't Northgate beat a team last week 24-3! And they had lost to them a few weeks earlier - someone explain that change!

Back to frieders3 about running up the score... the Northgate score against Berean wasn't a case of running up the score intentionally at all. It was just a case of the perfect offensive storm. Most of the starters played very little in the 4th qtr. But even the guys off the end of the bench were playing the best games of their lives. Guys who've never scored in their careers were making plays and getting goals and assists. And you're right, Berean had beaten NHS 11-5 just 2 weeks prior. After the game in a show of sportsmanship NHS joined Berean at mid field for a communal prayer out of respect for that Berean tradition. Berean and NHS are in the same neighborhood and many attendees are neighbors and friends. Although a loss like that really hurts, no hard feelings seemed evident after the game. Hopefully Berean will remember the game and come at NHS extra hard next time, and as long as the rivalry stays on the field that's fine.

As for the turn around in the two games, both teams have been very inconsistent this year. Take NHS... which is the real team? the one that lost to Dublin 8-5 or the one that beat Dublin 12-8... the one that lost to Berean 11-5 or the one that won 24-3... the one that beat Granada 14-13 (and really had the game under control the whole 2nd half) or the one that could only score 4 and was easily handled by Livermore which lost to Granada. You can't predict from one game to the next whether the offense will show up. Berean's season has been much the same. They just switched roles for the two games.

Having said that, Northgate's next game was a dud, losing to Clayton Valley 12-3. Couldn't generate any kind of offensive threat. Go figure!

I would like to "shed some light" on the posts regarding the Cal High games vs. MV and SRV this season. I appreciate the access to game reports on this forum for routine scores and info and am very reluctant to comment as a coach when I do not feel it is my place to do so. But, we all need a more clear perspective and here goes:

As you are all aware, our teams in the EBAL conference play an atypical schedule each year...each team playing each other twice. This type of schedule is unknown in the world of high school lacrosse. Aside from playing a team for the second time in a post season playoff, you do not see this brutal syndrome on schedules when one peruses the websites of most high school teams across the country. This is unanimously vilified and challenged by EBAL coaches every year and ignored by school principals and administrators who are simply unaware or oblivious to the toll this takes on teams and especially burgeoning programs who confidently await the evolving future rewards of new youth leagues such as our U-9, U-11, U-13 and U-15 Raptor lax programs. Our constant challenge is keeping young high school kids focused and positive during the late part of the season...being upbeat after being drubbed by experienced teams.

Specifically this season, our Cal High team played a magnificent FIRST game against SRV. We hung tough, did not quit, enjoyed early leads, and lost by a score of 19-10. Our second recent game with SRV was abysmal...excuses abound on my part. We had (9) integral players at home or on the bench with a combination of afflictions...food poisoning, flu, fractures, etc. The SRV team played great and per usual, their top notch and 1rst class Coach Worstell obviously directed his players to hold the ball out...circulating possession w/o shooting. It is very difficult to keep eager players to refrain from the very essence of offensive play (Scoring). Coach Worstell did his absolute best as he always does. He is not capable of using our program to "send a message"...he is consummately focused on the right thing.

Our 1st game vs. MV - we took a beating at the hands of a team who distributed the ball, shot beautifully and played aggressive team defense. We offer no excuses as we did not have our team prepared. The Cal High team in the 2nd MV game you would not recognize from the 1st game. The game DVD shows for posterity that we played the game of our lives. We lost 11-6. The game was close and it was fought for 48 minutes. MV Coach Lambrecht was gracious in victory and complimented our team. When a team experiences the brief peaks and all too frequent valleys of a 20 game schedule with the prospect of routine defeat, the game film from such a contest serves as positive confirmation and pride...we can continue because we know what we are capable of.

Our team is comprised of over 30 kids who are good athletes...they are fast, mostly inexperienced, with many accomplished football players who are well aware of the new tough rules on hits on the lacrosse field. After a difficult 1st two game acclimation period, the team has adjusted well to accommodating the new rules and has been less inclined to resort to "Hanson Brothers" play and focused on "Old Time Hockey...Eddie Shore". As we look at our last game on Friday @ DLS, our (11) seniors and the whole team will approach it in the most ambitious, earnest approach that a collection of young men can possibly muster.